New Maryland Truck Weigh Station Replaces Old Office Trailer
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A new $5.8 million weigh and inspection station along U.S. Route 1 in Maryland has opened to make traveling safer for passenger and commercial vehicles driving along the 81-mile stretch through the state from Washington to the Pennsylvania line.
The U.S. Route 1 Conowingo Road truck weigh and inspection station reopened in September after closing in December 2020. It is located in Darlington, about 50 miles northeast of Baltimore in agricultural Harford County, which borders the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay.
“The renovations to this critical asset along U.S. Route 1 will improve overall operational efficiency and accessibility for commercial trucks,” William Pines, state highway administrator, said recently. “With this new facility, we also will improve safety for motorists who travel the corridor in noncommercial vehicles.”
The former Conowingo weigh and inspection station was established in 1996 using an office trailer. Although site improvements were made two decades ago, a new facility was needed. Construction finished in July, and the facility opened Sept. 6.
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“Scale houses are more than checkpoints on our highways. They play a vital role in ensuring the efficiency and safety of commercial vehicles,” said Lt. Col. Dan Pickett, chief of the field operations bureau of the Maryland State Police. “Maintaining our weigh and inspection stations protect not only the drivers of trucks and buses but also all motorists traversing Maryland roadways.”
Pickett
The new facility has a wider entrance to improve accessibility and traffic flows there, a work shed, better site drainage, and a new static scale with a maximum horizontal clearance of 14 feet to handle wide loads.
Trucks are able to better access the static scale and an inspection pit because of better alignment. The new scale house has more space, an industrial-grade roof and high-grade windows.
Other improvements were upgraded and replaced intelligent transportation systems equipment, including two new LED “Open/Closed” signs, a variable message sign, four new closed-circuit TV cameras and LED overhead lane-use signs to direct vehicles to the static scale or bypass lane.
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The parking area now has more spaces for trucks declared to be out of service because of safety issues and extra employee and visitor spaces. The parking lot also has security light poles with photocells.
The Maryland Department of Transportation estimates more than 1.8 million trucks and commercial vehicles are weighed and 95,000 vehicles are inspected annually in the state.
MDOT has nine truck weigh and inspection stations: Conowingo, Cecilton, College Park, Finzel, Hyattstown, New Market, Perryville, Vienna and West Friendship. Trucks are allowed to park there when the stations are closed.
